Interview: ‘My Boys’ Stars Michael Bunin, Kyle Howard, Reid Scott Kick Off Season Two on TBS

HollywoodChicago.com — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:31:45 -0700

CHICAGO – “My Boys,” which is a set-in-Chicago television comedy series on TBS, recently began its second season. The popular comedy stars Jordana Spiro as P.J. Franklin. She’s a Chicago Sun-Times sports writer who filters her life through bonding with her male buddies.

Three of the “boys” – Michael Bunin (Kenny in the show), Kyle Howard (Bobby) and Reid Scott (Brendan) – were recently interviewed by HollywoodChicago.com. They discussed the similarities of the show to the life of creator Betsy Thomas, the Chicago connections and their perspective on being part of the hit TV show.

“My Boys” on TBS stars Jordana Spiro, Kyle Howard, Reid Scott, Michael Bunin, Jim Gaffigan, Jamie Kaler and Kellee Stewart.
Image credit: TBS

HollywoodChicago: The ensemble comedy has a long tradition in the history of the show. What template or show did the creators have in mind for “My Boys”?
Reid Scott: Out the chute, TBS wanted to pair us with “Sex and the City”. They felt it was that sensibility and demographic. More and more in interviews, though – and it’s incredibly flattering to be compared to the show – it is “Friends”.
Michael Bunin: Betsy Thomas wrote it because she is a huge Chicago Cubs fan, loves her scotch and basically wanted to capture the flip side of “Sex and the City” with a different kind of girl.

HC: What do you think has been the most authentic Chicago experience for your cast and crew?
MB: Wrigley Field – by far the most impressive thing – on so many different levels. Most of our writers and producers are from Chicago or went to Northwestern University, so they want to keep it authentic. But to be on the grass at one of the hallowed halls of baseball was a big treat.

I had a shot where I had to go into the ivy. Betsy Thomas came up to me and said: “You really have to go into the ivy on this take – really hard.” I said OK and went flying into it. Suddenly, it was like the secret service and all this security was right on me.

Betsy said: “I’m sorry, Mike. Why did you do that?” She laid it on me. Then she came up to me later and told me she thought we’d only get one chance to do it like that because of the security.

HC: Which Chicago bar is the fictional Crowley’s upon which your show is based?
MB: It’s modeled after Guthrie’s on Addison. If you look closely, the floor in both places are the same. They originally wanted to call our bar Guthrie’s, but I didn’t know if it was a right’s issue. Betsy Thomas loves Guthrie’s.
Kyle Howard: After doing several scenes on the set of Crowley’s, the writers took us over to Guthrie’s. We walked in and said: “There’s the game cabinet. Look at the tablecloths. Look at the floor.” It was like walking into the set.
RS: In the Crowley’s set, there is a picture of Betsy Thomas, her husband (Adrian Wenner) and Eric Gilliland (an executive producer of the show). All three of them are playing Jenga at Guthrie’s.

HC: Is Jordana Spiro actually like her P.J. character?
RS: Actually, she’s very “P.J.-esque”. She’s a nice girl who likes to hang with the boys, which is a daunting task.
MB: When we shot the pilot and everyone was nervous anyway, you could kind of tell that she was wondering about being in the boys’ club and how this was going to play out. By day four, she was so at ease that you knew she liked her character and liked hanging with the boys.

Jim Gaffigan, Jamie Kaler and Michael Bunin in “My Boys” on TBS.
The show also features Jordana Spiro, Kyle Howard, Reid Scott and Kellee Stewart.
Photo credit: IMDb

HC: Like the characters in the show, do you guys actually play poker together?
MB: Yeah. We have a game at Betsy Thomas’ house. It’s a game that has been going on for years, but now people from the show actually stop by and play.

When I spend the day on the set and react in character to Reid’s character (Brendan) during a poker scene, what’s really surreal is that I always say “Brendo!” Then when we play at Betsy’s house, in comes the real Brendan – who Reid’s character is based on – and we say “Brendo!” So some days I’m yelling “Brendo” for 14 hours.

HC: Do you create back stories for your characters, or because the show hasn’t been on that long, do you let it evolve through the writing?
RS: It has been a little bit of both. Because the characters are based on real people who are actually involved with the show, a lot of situations and inside jokes (which add to the ease and reality of the show) will be explained to us. But as we’ve gone on, our characters have become their own characters and rely less on the characters upon which they are based. Then we do the background work.
KH: There have been days where we read a joke, say “that would never happen” and then Betsy will say “actually, it has” and then go on to explain why.

HC: Kyle, regarding the cliffhanger from last season, when did you know your character was the one who was going to Italy?
KH: Nobody knew until a week before we shot it. I didn’t know until Reid sent me a text with “you’re on the plane, you son of a bitch”.
MB: I was in the office several times telling them exactly why I know it was going to be the Chicago Cubs character. He was the good-looking guy who dated P.J. for a few months. I was giving them the whole storyline and they were nodding their heads along with it. You saw how right I was.

Jim Gaffigan plays the character of Andy Franklin in “My Boys” on TBS.
Photo credit: IMDb

HC: Is there a different pacing between working a show with a laugh track versus one like “My Boys” without one?
RS: Yes. It’s not like I prefer one over the other because they are very different things. I did a sitcom called “It’s All Relative” and the three-camera method made it more like a play. You would get all jacked up for taping night. It was like a party.

But that is why I categorize “My Boys” as a comedy rather than a sitcom. It doesn’t rely on the broader humor of sitcoms, the pacing and even the lighting is different. But you get multiple stabs at bits because of the way it’s taped. It’s more a cerebral type of comedy that way.

HC: How much ad-libbing do you do on the show?
MB: A lot by TV standards, but when you count the actual lines, it’s more of a show that’s scripted as is. The stories are there, the characters are there and the lines are there. Sometimes at the end of a scene the camera will run and the improv coming out of it will make the show. There is a decent amount technically, but overall, it’s a small percentage.

HC: What’s it like working with comedian Jim Gaffigan?
MB: Jim Gaffigan’s autobiography would be titled “My Character Would Sit” because that’s what he directs himself to do in every scene.

HC: Are lines sometimes switched between characters depending on how a scene works?
RS: Actually, yes. It will come at the request of the actor or the producer. You hear the stories of the selfish actors, but we’re willing to pass the ball a lot. I will get a line and say: “Hey, this is a funny joke and I get it, but it will be better coming out of the other character’s mouth.”
MB: We’ve all done that on one or two occasions.
KH: I’ve never done that. (laughter)

New episodes of the second season of “My Boys” premiere every Tuesday on TBS. See here for more details. “My Boys” stars Jordana Spiro as P.J. Franklin, Kyle Howard as Bobby Newman, Reid Scott as Brendan Dorff, Michael Bunin as Kenny Morittori, Jim Gaffigan as Andy Franklin, Jamie Kaler as Mike Callahan and Kellee Stewart as Stephanie.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com